A World Shattered
by cowgirlangel95
Summary: AU: When tragedy strikes Maya, she is ripped from the world she's known and thrown into another that she never wanted to be involved in. Rated T for minor character deaths, alcohol, and abuse.


_**A/N: Hey all! Me again. I've been working on this one shot for a while, and instead of doing homework I decided to finish, edit, and post this thing.**_

 _ **Just a couple AU notes before we get started. Gammy Hart has passed before this story and the episode that will be coming soon (Girl Meets Forgiveness) will not exist in this timeline.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Girl Meets World.**_

Maya waited impatiently outside of the hospital room door. One would think that after three hours of waiting, they would be able to tell her _something_. But no. Not a thing. Nobody told her anything. Not the nurses that buzzed in and out of the door, not the doctors… nothing. The only thing she knew for certain was that her mother had kept something hidden from her for a long time now, and it would have stayed hidden if she didn't collapse while working at Topanga's. That moment continued to repeat in Maya's mind. Her mother walking over to the four friends, her sudden halt, the breaking of glass when she dropped the plate that she was carrying, and a dull thud when she hit the floor. Maya was the first one by her side… her begging cries left hanging in the air as her mom failed to respond.

Her mind brought her back to the present moment when the door opened yet again, revealing a very tired looking nurse with a clipboard in hand.

"How is she doing? Can I see her? What happened?" Maya shot off as she followed her down the hallway.

The nurse glared at the teen as she scribbled something down on the clipboard. "Once we have anything to tell you, you'll be the first to know."

"But you've been saying that for two hours," she commented in disbelief as she tried to prevent her voice from cracking.

"And we will keep on saying it until we have something. Now if you'll excuse me," she snapped as she pushed past her.

Maya bit her lip and turned back out to the waiting room. Once she arrived, Riley stood up with some sort of hope that her best friend might be doing better now.

"Well?" she asked.

Maya shook her head and put her hands inside of her jeans pockets. "Nothing yet…" she trailed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but a deep voice coming from behind her prevented her in doing so.

"Maya Hart?"

The young blonde turned around and met the tall doctor's gaze. "Yeah?"

"Your mother would like to see you. I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left," he explained in a sorrow filled tone.

Hearing the second sentence made an ice ball form in Maya's stomach. She felt as if time were slowing to a stop as she tried to absorb what he said. _How can this be? How could she have hidden this for so long? Why didn't I know about it? Heck, did I even hear this guy right?_

"If you'll follow me please, miss."

Maya did as she was told, and followed him to her mother's room, leaving Riley standing in the waiting room. Once inside, she saw her mom lying on the bed, ghostly pale. The door closed behind her, and she saw her mother's eyes move towards her direction.

"Come here, baby girl," Katy said quietly; a small smile spread across her lips once she made eye contact with her daughter.

Maya rushed over to the bed and flung her arms around her mother's neck, trying not to sob as Katy rubbed her hand up and down the teen's back. "Why didn't you tell me, mom?"

"I'm sorry… I know I should have, but I didn't want to worry you. Especially since when I found out, you were about to head into finals week. It just would have put more pressure on you, and they didn't expect it to accelerate this fast. Can you forgive me?"

Maya sat up and nodded as she let a tear fall down her cheek. "I don't want to lose you!"

Katy nodded. "I know… I know. But remember this. No matter what happens, I'll always be there with you, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"I love you, baby girl," she whispered as she took ahold of Maya's hand.

"And I love you."

Once the words had come from her daughter's mouth, Katy's head leaned back into the mattress and her eyes closed. The steady hum of the heart monitor filled the room.

"NO!" Maya screamed, finally letting all the tears she had been holding back flow. Her sobs soon filled the room as she hugged her mother's body, still not wanting to believe that this was reality.

 _Hope is for suckers!_ Maya's mind shouted. _And I was a sucker for believing that there may be hope for me after all!_

OoOoO

The funeral had been a private event, only consisting of those that Maya and Katy held dearest, including Shawn who had come back early from an assignment once he heard the news. Somehow, Maya was able to hold it together until the casket that held her mother was being lowered into the ground. It was then the dam that held up her tears broke. She hated crying in public (she hated crying, period), but there was nothing she could do to stop the tears. Maya felt Riley wrap an arm around her shoulders, while Shawn took ahold of her hand. She knew they were just trying to help, but if anything it made it worse. Once the ceremony was over, Cory, Shawn, and Auggie went to go pick up some food from a local restaurant, knowing full well no one was in the mood to cook. The rest of the group headed back to the apartment, the girls in one car, and the rest of the boys following close behind them in another.

It was then that Mrs. Matthews got the call. The call containing the last thing Maya wanted to hear.

She followed Topanga into the Matthews' apartment, with Riley, Farkle, and Lucas close behind her. "C'mon, Mrs. Matthews, there _has_ to be something you can do; find a loophole… something so Shawn can adopt me, or even you and Mr. Matthews!" she begged.

The lawyer sighed sadly as she turned to face the young teen. "I'm sorry, Maya. Since you have no other living relatives, custody falls on your father. There's only two ways that what you want could happen. You're father's situation could be found unfit for raising children, or he gives up his custody rights. And unfortunately, neither has happened," she trailed.

Tears brimmed Maya's eyes as her lower lip began to tremble. "I'm begging you…" she whispered, somehow hoping that if she said it enough it could happen.

Mrs. Matthews closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "If there was anything I could do, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I'm sorry," she responded before she headed down the hallway to change.

Maya turned to face her friends as more tears began to fall. Silence and shock fell over the group for a very long time. Despite them all knowing what the elephant in the room was, no one wanted to address it. That is, until Maya let out a sob.

"I don't want to go!"

Riley wrapped her arms around Maya and let her own silent tears fall, feeling helpless for the first time in her life. She was supposed to be able to fix anything! But today she met her match, and it hurt her even more to see Maya in so much pain… pain that couldn't be taken away easily.

"Why should I have to go? He's never been there my whole life! He left me and my mom for someone else, and only _now_ he wants to do something about it?!" she yelled.

"He may be trying to do what's best for you," Farkle offered, but he immediately regretted his words once they tumbled from his mouth, for Maya's eyes threw daggers at him.

"'Do what's best for me'?" she echoed as she walked out of Riley's embrace and towards him. "If he wanted to do what was best for me, he would give up his custody rights and let the Matthews or Shawn adopt me."

Farkle began to cower as she stepped closer. Despite the face he was a few inches taller than her now, she was still very intimidating. "Maybe he just wants to spend some time with you and get to know you?" he offered, but once again he mentally slapped himself for his suggestion. All he wanted to do was lighten the mood, but he was doing quite the opposite.

"If he wanted to do that, then he should have rethought leaving my mother all those years ago," Maya growled.

A comforting hand fell onto Maya's shoulder. "Calm down, Maya," Riley began. "He's only trying to help."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Farkle responded. "One more stupid question before I shut my mouth. Where does he live?"

"Oklahoma," Maya said with disgust. "I'm going to be living in Huckleberry's territory."

"It just so happens to be a beautiful area, Maya," Lucas said in a matter of fact tone, hoping that he could make her realize that there might be something good coming out of it.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, Hop along, if you just _love_ it so much, why don't you go for me?"

Silence filled the room once again as Maya ran a hand through her hair. "Look, I'm sorry… can we not talk about it anymore?" she asked just before she turned and left the room.

The three remaining friends simply looked at each other until they heard a door being slammed shut. It was then Farkle asked the dreaded question.

"Do you know when she's leaving?"

Riley nodded. "The day after tomorrow," she replied as her voice cracked.

OoOoO

The past two days went far too quickly for Maya's liking. When she woke up that morning, she hoped that everything she had experienced in the past week was a dream. But when her eyes met her suitcase that stood next to the footboard, she realized that everything was very real. She was leaving for the Midwest in a few hours. Maya placed her pillow over her face and let out a muffled scream. She didn't want to say goodbye; Not to Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, not to Auggie, not to Riley, Farkle, Shawn… heck, she didn't want to say goodbye to Lucas. Even though their friendship was particularly strained at times, she couldn't deny that she would miss him. Now that she wasn't going to be there, it was his duty to look out after Riley. Maya couldn't think of anyone else better for that, especially with how much he cared for Riley.

Slowly, she got up and got ready. During that time, she couldn't stop thinking about one thing. Riley. They had been in each other's lives for so long, and now they wouldn't be. Quite frankly, Maya didn't know how she could do it.

With a heavy heart, Maya picked up her bag and headed out to the kitchen. Once there, she was greeted by everyone that she held dear, and most of them appeared as if they had already been crying.

Maya set her suitcase down and approached the first person in line: Auggie. She was never one for goodbyes, but she didn't have much choice in this matter.

"Why do you have to go, Maya?" the seven year old asked.

She sighed as she ruffled Auggie's long curls and knelt down to his level. "It's not my choice, bud. If it were up to me, I wouldn't be going anywhere."

He wrapped his arms around her as best he could. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too," she returned.

Once he released her, Maya stood back up and moved onto the next two: Farkle and Lucas.

"This doesn't even seem real. How can I be saying goodbye to the love of my life?" Farkle asked.

Even though those antics annoyed her in the past, Maya allowed the smallest smile spread across her lips. "Because life can be cruel at times."

"It's going to be strange not having you around," Lucas added.

"You can say that again," Maya replied.

"Be sure to visit? Or at least call?" Farkle asked.

Maya nodded. "I'll try."

She braced herself as she moved towards Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. "Thank you for always believing in me… even though I seemed like a lost cause," she choked out.

Topanga wrapped her in her arms. "You were never that way to us, Maya."

She nodded as Mrs. Matthews released her, and she turned towards Mr. Matthews. "This guy I'm going to live with may be my father by blood, but you'll always be more of a dad to me that he will ever be."

Cory pulled Maya in for a hug as he tried to blink away his own tears. "No matter what anyone says, you'll always be my daughter."

Maya wiped her eyes as she pulled away. At the moment, she was happy that the two hardest goodbyes, Shawn and Riley, weren't going to happen for a little while yet. Both of them were taking her to the airport.

She gulped as she took her suitcase from Auggie. "So… this is it then," she stated. "I'll see you guys soon… I promise."

Everyone nodded as Maya, Shawn, and Riley headed out the door and to the car. The three of them piled into the car and headed on down the road.

The car drive over was fairly silent, besides the music that Shawn had playing over the radio. Neither Riley nor Maya said anything to each other, but their actions said it all. Maya's hand was clinging to her best friend's hand like her life depended on it. Both of them didn't want to go through what they knew was going to happen, but it all came slamming in front of them once Shawn pulled up to the JFK airport's door.

All three of them piled out of the car, and Shawn pulled Maya's suitcase from the trunk.

As he handed it over to her, Shawn pulled Maya into a hug. "Here's looking at you, kid. We'll see each other again real soon, okay? If my job doesn't have me go out there, I will myself. Deal?"

Maya nodded into his shoulder. "As long as you're still out there for me."

"Always."

The two of them released and Maya turned to Riley. Riley was already in tears, and as much as Maya wanted to make this goodbye quick and painless, she knew she couldn't. _How are we supposed to say goodbye in a few minutes?! We need more than that!_

Maya quickly fell into Riley's arms, and the two of them began sobbing into each other's shoulders.

"I don't wanna go, Riley. I don't want to go!" Maya howled.

"I don't want you to go, either! This isn't fair! I don't want to say goodbye!"

Shawn wrapped his arms around the two girls and sighed. "I know it's hard, but remember this, girls. It's not goodbye. It's see you later. You two have the strongest friendship since me and Cory, and I know you won't let some distance come in between you two."

The two girls nodded as they tried to get in better control of their emotions. "See you later?" Riley squeaked.

Maya nodded. "Yeah."

"Text me when you land?"

Again, Maya nodded. "I'll see you later."

She picked up her suitcase and headed through the airport doors. Even though she knew that she would see her friends again, all she saw in front of her was her world shattering in front of her as she mindlessly went through security and to the terminal.

The flight over didn't seem to take too long. And Maya couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It didn't really matter now; she had landed at her new home. Maya wrinkled her nose at the thought. Unlike some people, home was not where ever she was. Home was the place she left.

Once the plane came to a stop, Maya closed her sketchbook and made her way off the plane. That was the benefit of having a window seat and the time to actually draw. They weren't the best she'd ever made, but she didn't expect them to be. It was just something to help pass the time.

As she made her way to the baggage claim, Maya texted Riley like she had promised. But as she pressed send, pain filled her heart. How she longed to be back with them, yet it had only been a few hours.

After she had picked up her bag and headed towards the exit, she felt her pocket buzz. When she pulled it out, she was hoping to see a message from Riley, but she saw the name of her father scroll across the screen instead.

It read: _I'm outside by the white F-150. Can't wait to see you!_

Maya rolled her eyes. _Yeah, I'm sure,_ she thought, _that's why you're turning up in my life now after all this time._

She sent a quick reply and made her way towards the doors. Once the automatic doors pulled apart, she saw him… Kermit Clutterbucket, standing next to his beat up, mud covered, 1990s truck in all of his glory. The one thing that she noticed about him was his eyes. They were the same ones that looked back at her in the mirror every night.

Once Maya stepped in front of him, a huge smile spread across his face. "Hi Maya! How are you?" he greeted as if he had known her for years.

She broke eye contact with him and bit the inside of her lip. "Fine," she responded quietly.

"Ready to go?"

In her mind, Maya thought of a sly remark about being ready to head back to New York, but she bit her tongue and nodded while Kermit grabbed her bag and put it in the back. The two of them climbed inside the truck, and with a roar from the engine, they set off.

Most of the journey was quiet; Maya made sure of that. Every time he asked her something, she would barely let out one or two words. It's not that Maya meant to do this; she just really didn't feel like talking.

It wasn't until they were heading up the long driveway to the small wooden house that Maya said much more.

"So… do I have any half siblings?"

Kermit gritted his teeth as he nodded. "Uh, yeah… a half brother and sister."

"How did they take the news about me coming?"

"Actually… they don't know."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "How could you not involve them in something like this?"

"Because their mom and I split about a year ago," he snapped. "She took both of them with her and moved to Washington."

It took everything that Maya had in her not to let out a humorless laugh. "Well, I guess what they say about karma is true, isn't it?" she replied as Kermit stopped the truck.

"Just get your bag," he rushed as he stepped out of the vehicle and headed towards the house.

Maya did as she was told and followed him inside, eyeing all the country charm this place had.

She hated it.

"Here's your room," Kermit announced as he opened the door that adjoined the kitchen. "I hope you like what I picked out décor wise… had to make a few calls to find out what you would like."

Maya eyed the room and ran her fingers over the furniture. It was definitely nice… things she would have enjoyed if she and her mother had more money, like her own TV. But there was something in particular that caught her eye. A brand new art easel was sitting in the corner by the window. She immediately went to it, now thinking she may be able to bring a little bit of home here with her.

"Mrs. Matthews tell you?"

"Yeah," he responded as he approached her. "She helped me with a lot of this. So," Kermit continued, trying to change the subject, "what do you say about grabbing some dinner?"

Maya inwardly sighed as she turned towards him. To be honest, she didn't want to go anywhere, but she _was_ hungry. "Yeah, sure," she said in her usual matter of fact tone.

Kermit smiled brightly as he moved to put his arm around her, but Maya quickly stepped away. He realized his error and dropped his arm. "Sorry… I used to do that all the time with your sister."

Maya gave him a cold stare and replied, "Well I'm not her," before she stepped past him and out to the car.

The remainder of their night passed similarly. The only words Kermit got out of his daughter were cryptic one or two word answers, and the tension only continued to rise between the two. Neither of them addressed it until they returned home. Maya was hoping to slip into her room and get situated with her new surroundings, but the sound of his voice made her stop.

"What is wrong with you, Maya?"

She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around, nearly laughing at the fact that he just asked that. "Did I hear what I think I just heard?"

"Yes, you did. I've dealt with resentment from teenagers before, but yours takes the cake!"

"If you really have to ask that question, then you're stupider than I took you for! How did you think I'd react to this whole situation? My mother just died, and I didn't even know she _was_ dying. I barely wrapped my mind around that fact when I got the news that _you_ were taking me in… someone who _never_ wanted to be in my life before. Now, I'm in a strange new place, away from those I care about most to be with some stranger who is supposedly my father, but never wanted to be until some court allowed you to since I had no other available options that the legal system would grant!" she spat just before she stormed to her room.

Maya heard him calling her name, but she ignored him, slammed her bedroom door shut, and locked it. She slumped down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. Sharks were better company than what she just went through. After forcing herself up after a few minutes, Maya threw her suitcase on her bed and opened it. However, what she found sitting on top of all the clothes and few personal items she packed surprised her.

There were three items. Two wrapped packages and a note. Maya took the note in her hands and opened it, immediately recognizing Riley's handwriting once her eyes hit the page.

 _Hi Maya,_

 _I knew there was going to be some things that I would forget to say, or that I wouldn't be able to say them no matter how hard I would try._

 _Even though we're not going to be a few minutes' walk from each other anymore, you're still my best friend. No matter what happens, I'm just a phone call away. I know this sounds really cliché, but when friends are separated, they tend to drift apart. I don't want that. I want weekly phone calls from you, at least!_

 _Now for the gifts. I know how much you hate surprises, so I'll just tell you what they are. The first one is a scrapbook filled with various pictures and memories. And the other is a sketchbook. I know you have plenty of these, but I figured another couldn't hurt. That and I placed different ideas on the top each page._

 _Love you to pieces xoxo  
Riley._

With tears in her eyes, Maya set the note down and unwrapped the first gift, the scrapbook. As she flipped through the pages, she couldn't help but smile. There were so many photos in there containing memories that she had long forgotten about until she saw them in front of her once again. Looking back at all the good times that they had. As she turned the pages, more and more photos had Farkle included in them, and then towards the end there were some with the whole group there. She continued to look at the pages until her eyelids could no longer stay open.

OoOoO

A month had past and the friction between Kermit and Maya was still very strong. Majority of the time, Maya felt as if Kermit was trying a little bit too hard at trying to get her to like him. There would be several times when he would come home from work with something new for her, like a new art kit or a new movie or a new book that he thought she would like. For her, it was getting rather annoying to say the least. She didn't want any of those things. If anything, she wanted to spend quality time with him. Even though he abandoned her all those years ago, Maya still yearned for a fatherly bond from him, and she had yet to feel that.

Maya called Riley at _least_ once a week to catch up on everything that had happened back in New York. Often, she would catch both Farkle and Lucas there, too. Even though it had only been a month, Maya felt like she had left them an eternity ago. It was hard adjusting to her new life, especially since it was the summer. There wasn't really anyone to talk to. All of their neighbors were miles apart.

Every time she called them, Maya felt that her father would be a bit resistant, almost jealous of her relationship with her friends, and she didn't understand it at all. It wasn't like he was trying all that hard to get close to her, and at times Maya still felt as if she was deserted on another world.

Through all that time, the father daughter pair was skirting around a rather huge elephant in the room. Neither one of them wanted to touch it, but Maya decided to bring it up one night after he came stumbling in rather late.

"Why did you leave?" she asked bravely.

Kermit dropped his keys on the kitchen counter as he rubbed his eyes. His hand moved over his mouth as he let out a sigh. "What was that?" he asked.

Maya stood up and walked closer to him. "Why did you leave me and my mom?"

He moved his head to make eye contact with her, and Maya saw something that she had never seen in him before. His eyes lacked any luster in them at all. They appeared dead to the world as anger spread across his face.

"Why? You wanna know why?" he mocked as he slurred his words. "I'll tell you why," his voice boomed as he launched over towards her and grabbed ahold of her arm. "I left because of whiney little people like you. 'Gimme this', 'gimme that', 'do this', and 'do that'. You got that from your mom, you know. She was the same way."

Maya's eyes widened in shock as she smelled the alcohol on his breath. _Where in the world is this coming from?_ she thought.

"Well, guess what, kid?" he growled. "You're going to get what your mother deserved all those years ago," Kermit finished as he rose his hand up in the air and brought it down to strike her.

Maya flinched slightly as she anticipated his fist coming across her face, but it never came. Her arm came up to block it on instinct. Maya's eyes widened in surprise. She had taken a few self-defense classes curtesy of Shawn because you never know what's going to happen to a young teenage girl in the city. However, Maya never thought she would be using those skills here.

The rage behind Kermit's eyes grew as he brought his other hand down, but once again Maya brought her forearm to deflect it and brought her own fist up and made contact with her father's jaw.

Kermit staggered back in surprise, and Maya instantly knew that what she had done was a huge mistake. She watched as her father's face turned beat red. He lunged at her and struck her across the face with enough force to send Maya crashing into the dining room set behind her. Blood started to trickle down the back of her neck as her body met the floor.

Whether the sound of the crash was enough to bring Kermit out of his drunken haze, or he had finally gained enough of his senses back on his own, his jaw dropped in shock once he realized what he had done.

"Maya…" he began as he stepped towards her. "I'm so sorry."

But as he came closer, Maya scooted herself away. "Don't you _dare_ come near me!" she shouted as she brought a hand up to the base of her skull to put pressure on the gash.

Kermit froze where he was and raised his hands. "Okay… I'm so, so, sorry Maya. I really am."

On shaky legs, Maya stood up and slowly backed into her room, making sure to keep an eye on him as she stepped inside. Once in her room, the pain from both the strike against her cheek and the deep cut on the back of her neck came to full strength. Tears filled Maya's eyes as she made her way into her little bathroom and applied a cold cloth to both of her injuries. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Maya knew that he had left her and her mother, but did this play a part into it as well? If so, it was a whole different ballgame. And Maya was caught in the middle of it.

The next morning, Maya stepped out into the kitchen and saw Kermit sitting at the table with the newspaper in hand. He looked up at her with a bright smile, but it soon faded as he caught sight of the bruise that was forming on her face.

"What happened to you?" he asked with concern filling his voice.

A distraught look came over Maya's face. "You don't remember, do you?"

Kermit raised an eyebrow as he set the newspaper down. "Remember… remember…" he muttered to himself as he wrinkled his forehead. It took a moment before realization came over him. "Maya… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to at all."

Maya snorted as she sat on the opposite side of the table. "Quite frankly, I don't believe you since I know what happens to people when they get drunk. So, was that part of the reason why you left? Both the drinking and this?" she asked as she pointed towards her face.

He sighed as he folded up his newspaper and placed it on the table. "No… the drinking and that didn't come until after I married my second wife. The reason why I left you and your mom was because I met Stacy. She was young, beautiful, carefree—"

"And my mom was tied down and worn out because she was taking care of me," Maya assumed.

"That's not how it was at all," Kermit defended.

She rolled her eyes. "Really? Because that's how you're making it sound."

Kermit bit his lip and continued on, not bothering to address Maya's comment. "The drinking came soon after I lost my job a few years ago, followed by what you experienced last night. Stacy left because she couldn't see me like that, and it only got worse. But as time passed, I slowly became more in control of it. Then I heard that Katy had passed and that you needed a place to stay, and I saw it as a fresh start."

Maya let out a humorless laugh as she crossed her arms. "So basically, I'm your last chance at redemption, and you didn't take me in because you actually cared. Fabulous…"

"That's not what it is at all."

"Oh really? Because you're making it sound like that. Seeing my mom pass away as a fresh start? How about taking me in because you love me?"

Kermit sighed as he clasped his hands together. "I did that, Maya."

"Then why didn't you say that?!"

"Because I'm your dad and I figured I didn't need to say it!"

"So you thought saying 'fresh start' would be better?"

"It was that, but it was also because I love you. Don't my actions speak for themselves?"

"What actions? All you've been doing is buying me stuff. Well guess what? I'm not the typical teenage girl who will love you for getting the newest things. I don't care about _any_ of that. All I want is to actually _feel_ like someone's daughter!"

"Maya, listen here…"

"No! You listen here!" Maya shouted as she stood up. "You may be my father, but you'll never be my _dad_. If you really did care about me, then you would never have left me and my mom all those years ago. If you really did care about how I felt about this whole thing, you would have let either Mr. Matthews or Shawn adopt me back in New York because both of them will be more of a dad than you'll ever be to me!" Once the words fell out of her mouth, Maya stormed through the door and walked as far away as she could from that place, leaving her father back in the house opening one of the cabinets and reaching for the bottle.

OoOoO

Maya stopped at the end of the road and looked out across the flat plane. She didn't know how long she was walking, nor did she care. All she knew was that dark clouds were rolling in rather quickly. The wind started to pick up, sending a chill right through her. Maya knew that she should probably turn around and head back, but something up in the sky caught her attention. She squinted and brushed her hair out of her face to get a better look at it. It took her a moment to realize what was wrong, but once the thought entered her mind, she turned around and dashed back down the road. The clouds had a greenish tinge to them, signaling the presence of a funnel cloud somewhere nearby. She may have been from New York where they didn't happen all that often, but she knew the warning signs very well.

By the time Maya had reached the house, the wind was blowing so hard that it nearly swept her off her feet a half dozen times. Dry lightning cracked across the sky, lighting her path. She looked back as she grabbed the front door's handle and saw the tornado heading straight towards the house.

Maya burst inside and saw her father slumped over at the table. "What are you doing?! We have to get downstairs!" she shouted over the wind, but he didn't give her any response.

She rushed over to him and nudged his shoulder. "Come on! Dad!" she pleaded, hoping that saying the title would warrant some sort of response from him. But as her hand lifted from his shoulder, his head rolled over on the table and revealed his closed eyes. Maya's eyes drifted from him to the bottle of rum next to his hand which was full last night. It was empty now.

Shock came over her as she felt his neck for any signs of life. None.

By now, the wind was screeching through the wooden walls, and it pushed something up against Maya's hand. She retracted it quickly, but quickly picked it up and dashed to the cellar doors. Once she was up against the wall of the house, Maya turned over what she had grabbed from the table.

A note addressed to her.

She tore the envelope open and her eyes read what was scribbled on the page.

 _Maya,_

 _I realize that not being there for you all this time was a grave mistake, and I don't blame you for being mad at me. I'm mad at myself now for seeing that in you. It's probably the worst thing that I've ever done to you, and I thought I could repair it with petty little things. I took you away from a life that you loved and that you belong in for my own selfish reasons. In time, I hope that you can forgive me._

 _Love,  
Your father._

Maya took in deep breaths as the tears began to fall down. She could barely wrap her mind around what she had just read, let alone think over the howling of the wind coming from above. Maya wrapped her arms around her knees and screamed. He didn't have to do what he did! All he had to do was at least _try_ to be someone to her, and now she'd never get that.

 _Then again,_ she thought, _did I really give him a chance?_

Tears continued to stream down Maya's face as the storm continued to grow louder. The sound of cracking wood and breaking glass reached her ears causing her to whimper. All she wanted to do was get out of this whole situation.

OoOoO

When Maya opened her eyes, everything around her was silent. She sat up, rubbed her face, and looked around. Everything around her was still intact, minus the few boards that had come through the ceiling. Maya stood up and brushed some of the dirt off of her clothes when she heard a familiar sound. She paused, focused in on it, and tried to figure out what it was.

After it repeating itself a few times, Maya's eyes widened as she scrambled towards the door. The sound was a voice, and it belonged to Shawn.

"Maya!" his voice sounded through the ceiling.

She tried to open the door, but something was jamming it. "I'm down here!" she shouted. "I'm down here!"

Shawn's voice paused for a moment before he called out again. "Maya?"

"I'm down here Shawn! Find the staircase leading to the basement!"

After a few minutes of silence, Maya heard the sound of scuffling coming from the other side of the door. Another couple minutes later, a dust covered Shawn burst through the door and laid eyes on her.

"Maya! Thank goodness you're okay!" he praised as he wrapped his arms around the young blonde.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but why are you here?"

Shawn let out a small chuckle as he released her from the embrace. "I had an assignment out here, and I wanted to surprise you. Where's Kermit? Is he down here with you?"

A quiet sob escaped Maya's lips once the question was asked. She shook her head. "No… he… he…" she trailed before more sobs came.

Once again, Shawn pulled her into his arms. "Hey… hey, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

But Maya shook her head. "No it's not. He drank himself away before the tornado hit… and it's my fault! I never gave him a chance… and now he'll never have one."

Shawn continued to soothe her as he spotted the note out of the corner of his eye. "What's that?" he asked.

Maya looked over to what he was pointing at and sighed. "The note that he wrote to me."

"Mind if I look at it?"

Maya bobbed her head side to side. "Go ahead," she muttered.

Shawn released her, picked up the note, and skimmed it. Once he was finished reading it, he set it back down and took ahold of Maya's hand. "What I gathered from what he wrote is that he failed you, not the other way around, got it? And whatever he did was the only way he saw to resolve the problem."

"But if I had just given him a chance…" she repeated, but Shawn cut her off.

"Look at me," he said as he gently grabbed her chin, making her look at him. "It's not your fault. Kermit tried in a way that he thought would work, and it failed. He didn't see any way out of it because he knew he couldn't give you what you wanted," he paused as he looked over her and noticed the dark bruise on her face. "Did something hit you during the storm?"

Maya shook her head. "No… Kermit did that the other night."

"Was he drinking?"

She nodded.

Shawn let out a sigh as he brought Maya in for another hug. "You saw the real Kermit, Maya. What did you notice?"

Maya sniffed as she looked down at her hands. "That he'd been keeping something locked away for a long, long time. Stuff about my mom that bothered him…"

"And it's still here today. Maya, you weren't to blame for this. Kermit didn't change from the man your mom married, and he probably saw that he couldn't change. So, he gave you what he thought was best. There are other ways to do that, but he chose the best one he saw fit for the both of you."

Maya bit her lip as she listened to Shawn's words. From what she gathered from this past month was that what he said was true.

"Now, come on," Shawn began as he led her over towards the stairs. "Let's get you out of this basement."

Maya nodded as she followed Shawn up the stairs and out of the wreckage. "What's going to happen now?"

Shawn shrugged as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Immediately, we need to call about Kermit and try to clear up some of this to see if there's anything salvageable. Then in a couple days, I'll try and see about adopting you."

Tears filled Maya's eyes as she looked up at him. "You'd do that for me?" she asked in disbelief, realizing how much he would have to give up just to support her.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Maya."

 _ **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! If you wouldn't mind letting me know what you thought of it before you leave that would be great :) I love hearing what you think ~cowgirlangel95 out!**_


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